CAREER: Molecular and Engineering Approaches for Analyzing Microbial Selection in Activated Sludge: Competition between Filaments and Floc-formers

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0092851de los Reyes IIIThe research and teaching efforts in this CAREER proposal will be directed towards examining fundamental activated sludge microbiology using novel molecular techniques. Specifically, the research will focus on the most important component of the most widely used wastewater treatment process: the separation of solids from the effluent in the activated sludge process.This separation leads to the production of a clear effluent in activated sludge and depends on the intricate balance between the populations of filamentous and floc-forming bacteria. However, despite over 80 years of experience with the process, the main parameters affecting the microbial selection of floc-formers over filaments are not thoroughly understood. Consequently, methodsfor controlling excessive filamentous growth that causes settleability problems (bulking) are empirical. A unified theory of microbial selection is thus necessary to provide a sound basis for designing control technologies The research component of this project will combine molecular, modeling, and reactor studies to integrate theories of microbial selection of floc-formers over filaments and develop design guidelines for reactor design and operation. The education component involves the training of undergraduate and graduate students in theprinciples and practices of molecular techniques, the integration of treatment process modelingin graduate water quality courses, the development of a teaching module on applications ofmolecular methods in environmental engineering, the integration of full-scale treatment plantexposure experiences in undergraduate and graduate courses, and participation in the Video-Based Engineering Education program at North Carolina State University. ***